Born in Indianapolis and raised in the desert of Scottsdale, Arizona, Ericka Kelly didn’t grow up surrounded by industry connections or a clear path to Hollywood. She grew up as one of the only Black kids in a very white suburb, with very Black parents, feeling tokenized at school but completely herself in the dance studio. Dance was her power and her escape: the place she could throw punches on the floor instead of in real life, sweat out the day, and experience what she calls “full‑body meditation.” What started as an after‑school outlet turned into Disney parade work at Disneyland, then the Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns dance teams—professional gigs that quietly instilled the habits that now define her: be early, be prepared, and leave your attitude at the door.
In this episode of Call Sheet Confessions, Ericka and I trace how that disciplined sideline dancer became a cannabis marketing manager in Oakland, a divorced twenty‑something rebuilding her life after a mentally and financially abusive relationship, and ultimately a union costumer in Los Angeles. She walks us through getting physically sick from stress, using cannabis to manage a brutal cyclic vomiting syndrome, and following packs of Black women in the Bay’s cannabis scene into a new career—only to find herself tokenized again as the face of white‑owned brands. When COVID wiped out her job after a transfer to LA, Ericka went back to pure creativity: dance classes, styling friends, shooting music videos just because they could. A last‑minute call to fill in as a wardrobe PA on a commercial changed everything. Her organization, proactive mindset, and dancer‑trained eye turned one day of work into a mentorship under a veteran costumer and a clear path into the union.
We get into what a costumer actually does and why the job is so far from glamorous: prepping at costume houses with limited size runs, building and running high‑volume fittings, watching your favorite looks get passed over, and then spending days doing the least sexy part of the job—returns. Ericka breaks down how she manages big, chaotic days like Adidas’ World Cup jersey reveal with 40+ global creators, what it’s like to help dress Culture’s Biggest Night at the BET Awards, and the quiet thrill of hearing “no notes” from legends like Laurieann Gibson. She talks candidly about setting the tone in the fitting room, insisting people walk over rather than shout across the space, and reminding her team they’re “just putting clothes on people” when everyone’s spiraling.We also talk about the boundaries she’s had to build as a Black woman in wardrobe—the baggy clothes and hats she wears to deflect unwanted attention, the hard line she draws at being hit on at work, and how pro sports dance culture taught her early that the players will never be the ones who get fired. From there, we dive into union reality: 10‑hour days versus 12, overtime and meal penalties, health insurance that actually works, and why she’ll always advocate for union sets. And through it all, Ericka owns her multi‑hyphenate lane: dancer, costumer, model, photographer, yogi. She talks about using breathwork to survive 10 hours of hearing her name called, staying disciplined enough to keep every creative muscle warm, and slowly getting over her fear of being seen so she can finally share more of her work online.This is an episode about being many things at once—and refusing to shrink any of them to make other people comfortable. It’s for dancers wondering what comes after the court, creatives thinking about switching industries, and anyone trying to rebuild after a life they thought they wanted falls apart.Follow the podcast on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/callsheetconfesspod?igsh=MXM4ZGtlOHhyYXljaw==🔔 Subscribe for more honest conversations about working in entertainment, creative careers, the reality behind “overnight success,” life between LA and small‑town roots, and what really happens on the other side of the call sheet.
